Return of the Roof Leaks

One of the first major projects we had to do when we got this house was get the roof replaced. As long-time readers may recall, the corner in the kitchen was a veritable fountain as snow melted off during our first winter in the house. Not content to let that one slide, we got the roof replaced, albeit with more than a few headaches. Aside from having to coax the swamp cooler back into action every year, the roof has served its purpose of keeping water out of the house. Well… it did until last Thursday.

I got home a bit early on Thursday with the intention of doing some work from home. I’d managed to eat something for lunch when Sara came upstairs and said that water was coming down in the laundry room. I was a bit perplexed and went down to find water dripping from several places and a rather significant amount of it. After running back upstairs, I noticed water coming down in the kitchen. Enough to warp the new counter we just installed and ruin the paint that Shauna had put on just months prior. The drywall is also feeling a bit over-squishy. All of this is after I thought I had fixed the leaking problems with the swamp cooler with some caulking, but apparently water is still leaking and getting under the shingles.

It being Pioneer Day, there were exactly zero roofers who were open for business to do repairs. I left a message for the guy who did our roof (you know, since he supposedly has a 5-year warranty on the labor), but he apparently thought it best to not return my call despite indicating that water is leaking into the house. With the daytime temperatures hitting near the century mark, it’s not an option to drain the swamp cooler until further notice either.

It all comes back to the original break in the pan from when we had the roof done. I thought the only leak was from the visible split that I had sealed, but apparently moving it caused a lot more damage than that. Even with the leak, shouldn’t the roof be done in such a way as to prevent this kind of issue? I’m no roofing expert, but it seems that leaving any method of entry for water is a Bad Idea™.

If anyone knows a competent roofer in the Orlando, FL that does quick repairs, we’re all ears.